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Oswald
"I want… to see my reflection in your eyes. I want to hear… those soft lips speak my name. And if, for a moment… a smile lights your face, I will truly live. No one controls me now. From now on, I act on my own… for you." -Oswald speaking to Gwendolyn as she sleeps and is about to kiss her, freeing her from her magical sleep. Oswald, also known as The Shadow Knight was the most powerful soldier in the Ringford army, he is also the grandson of the monstrous King Gallon, husband of the Valkyrie Princess Gwendolyn and the cousin of Cornelius. As an Infant, he was found by Melvin who raised him to be the ideal soldier. Personality Oswald is a somewhat blood-thristy, cruel and hateful young man, most likely a side-effect of his being a warrior most of his life and grappling with the curse of his sword. He can be very aggressive and has little care at all about murdering/slaughtering others, even going as far as to plan to murder the fairy princess Mercedes to ensure the success of Melvin's plans. He can also be disrespectful to those he dislikes, openly insulting the likes of Demon Lord Odin and Wagner and Hindel, referring to the later as a "lizard" to the former, and showing a lack of care of his actions that resulted in the murder of the former's friend (although it is hinted, that when his was in the Netherworld after finding out Melvin's true intentions and when he defeated King Gallon that he did feel regret for murdering Hindel). It would not be surprising that if he and his cousin Cornelius were to ever meet or cross paths with each other, they would not get along very well with each other (Cornelius being a man who upholds justice, honour and good. Almost the complete opposite of Oswald). In reality Oswald is actually a depressed young man, and seeks the love of those he cares for, which is demonstrated in how he dives into despair when Melvin revealed he considered Oswald little more than a tool, and later when he came to believe Gwendolyn was using him. He urgently seeks to prove his feelings to Gwendolyn, going through great lengths to obtain and then save her while she was still asleep, and then giving her the precious Ring Titrel as a gift and sign of his affection when she awoke. Some of his brighter sides show through around her, most notably in how he treats her as a person rather than a possession of his. Showing that he can be a kind, loving and caring person and not a cruel, evil, heartless/ruthless murderer. This is a result of Melvin's final words, calling Oswald a "object" a tool through which he would obtain the throne. He stubbornly affirms that Gwendolyn is not an object, and would not accept anyone treating her as such. Alignment Oswald is described to be Lawful Evil or Chaotic Neutral at the beginning of his story. He later becomes Chaotic Good in the middle of his storyline and eventually Neutral Good '''or maybe even Lawful Good at the end of the whole game (he possibly just stayed '''Neutral Good in the end as he does not suffer anymore conflicts). Appearance True to his title, Oswald is nearly always dressed in heavy black armor with a number of points on it and with the Ringford Royal Army symbols/icons engraved on his armor (the two clovers on his shoulder plates). His hair is a similar white-grey/white-blond to Gwendolyn's. Both his eyes are red, though his right eye more so (this is possibly a side effect of the use of his sword as his eyes were originally golden-brown/dark brown or even green like his cousin, Cornelius). It also glows fiercely red when he enters his shadow form, while the rest of his body turns completely black and takes on a completely black appearance that often leaves motion blurs and gives off something similar to the appearance of being a creature of shadow, black fire. He also wears a more casual outfit while recovering from his battle with Leventhan. Story Proving Strength Oswald's story begins with him delivering the final blow to the Dragon Hindel. He explains he only killed Hindel because it was the request of his adoptive father Melvin. Hindel explains to Oswald that his true father was a man by the name of Edgar, but Oswald doesn't care about this information, claiming that it's just the name of a man who abandoned a baby to die. Hindel then goes on to tell Oswald to "Follow the Bird". Oswald then delivers the final blow, silencing Hindel for good. Upon his return to Ringford, Melvin attempts to persuade Queen Elfaria of Oswald's by informing her of her victory of Hindel. When this fails to adequately impress the Queen, Melvin sends Oswald to infiltrate Ragnanival and gather information. In the meanwhile the Psyphersmith Brom has a change of heart concerning the Belderiver and attempts to warn Oswald about the curse the sword carries. Enraged, Melvin orders Brom sent to the netherworld. In Ragnanival, Oswald sees Brigan, who is talking with Skuldi. Skuldi attempts to convince Brigan to take over the country from Odin, but before their conversation can go anywhere Brigan notices Oswald was spying on them. The two go to battle, resulting in Oswald defeating Brigan. While attempting to escape, he notices Gwendolyn and falls for her. Once back at Ringford, Melvin further attempts to convince Elfaria to mass-produce the Belderivers, though the queen refuses. Melvin next orders Oswald to further prove his ability by performing well in the upcoming battle with the Aesir over the Crystallization Cauldron. During the battle, he encounters a pair of Halja who claim that Melvin had sold him for the power the Belderiver carries. Though Oswald dispatches the messengers of death, he begins to feel weak. During the battle, the queen Elfaria was killed by the Demon Lord Odin, resulting in the princess Mercedes being crowned Queen. Melvin decides to rebel again Mercedes, and send Oswald to Elrit Forest to ensure Beldor's support in the upcoming rebellion. Oswald travels there and is forced to battle the Dragon Belial when Beldor initially refuses Melvin's offer. After his victory over Belial, Beldor agrees to support Melvin's rebellion. Truth However, as the Halja were draining Oswald's power, he was unable to fight during the Rebellion at his full power and was defeated in battle with Mercedes. In his final moments he finds Melvin and asks just what he meant to him. Melvin replies that Oswald was only a tool through which he would achieve power. This revelation crushes Oswald and leaves him unwilling to defend himself as a Halja appears and takes him to the Netherworld. There, Oswald encounters Brom, who explains the circumstances surrounding the day Melvin found the orphaned boy. Oswald walks off into the depths of the Netherworld in despair, saying that while he was not afraid to die, the thought of dying and having lived a worthless life terrifies him. Suddenly he sees the phantom of a blue bird, which gives him hope for an unknown reason. Following the bird, he comes upon Queen Odette's shrine in the Nerthworld, and immediately attempts to attack her, though his attacks have no effect and she merely laughs at his effort. Once Oswald stops, she explained his powers were obtained from her, and thus he could not harm her. Initially she threatens to torture him for the remainder of eternity, when suddenly her mood changes and she instead offers to cure Oswald of the weakness he had been feeling in exchange for serving her. Though not enthusiastically, Oswald does agree to serve her, and Odette's first order for him is to kill the Demon Lord Odin who was once again attempting to steal Phozon Crystals from the Netherworld. Oswald defeats Odin, but before he could land the finishing blow, Odin offers to show Oswald the way out of the Netherworld in exchange for being spared. Oswald eventually agrees, and Odin takes him to Ragnanival where he recieves a cold welcome from Odin's forces. Odin then offers Oswald a mission to undertake: Oswald would travel to Winterhorn Ridge and slay the dragon Wagner, and in exchange Odin would grant Oswald the Abandoned Castle as well as Gwendolyn's Spear. Initially Oswald is uninterested in Odin's offer, so Odin eventually decides to add the still-slumbering Gwendolyn to his offer. At this Oswald remembers her and agrees to undertake the quest. The Bird Oswald travels to Winterhorn Ridge and calls out Wagner to do battle with him. The dragon does indeed swoop into action, eager for the chance to avenge Hindel's death, swearing to kill Oswald in the most painful way possible. The two do battle, and Wagner falls. Oswald claims the Ring Titrel from Wagner's corpse, and at that moment, Odin arrives, demanding Oswald give him the ring. Oswald however claims the ring was not part of their deal, and refuses to give it to Odin, going as far as to threaten to battle Odin again when the Demon Lord demands it once again. Odin begrudgingly allows Oswald to keep the ring, and holds to his end of the deal and gives him the Castle, Spear and Gwendolyn. Back at the Castle, Oswald waits for Gwendolyn to awaken, but eventually her attendant Myris tells Oswald that she can only awaken if she is kissed, and she will then love whoever kissed her. Oswald however refuses to force her to love him, and resolves to awaken her in a different way. At that moment, Skuldi arrives and takes Gwendolyn away from Oswald. Oswald persues Skuldi to Titania and corners the sorcerer in the Sewer Maze. There he battles Skuldi and a pair of Desecrators the Sorcerer called to his aid, and pulls through. Skuldi informs Oswald he gave Gwendolyn over the Inferno King Onyx in order to bait Odin and Onyx to go to war. Oswald then finishes Skuldi off, citing his reason as that Skuldi intended to use Gwendolyn as a tool. Awakening Oswald rushes to the Volkenon Lava Pits Odin beats him there, and confronts Onyx. The two were about to go to blows when Onyx reveals his plan: to awaken Gwendolyn and force her to love him. Odin merely laughs at Onyx's plan... Later Oswald himself arrives in Onyx's court, and is relieved to find Gwendolyn still sleeping. Onyx arrives, and the two do battle, with Oswald emerging victorious. Onyx then tells Oswald the truth; Odin's spell on Gwendolyn would indeed break when she was to be kissed, but no magic could force her to fall in love. He then cries his sorrow for having lost Gwendolyn, who he claims to love. Feeling sorry for Onyx, Oswald pledges his services to the Inferno King for one time whenever Onyx chooses to use him, and departs with Gwendolyn. Back at the castle, Oswald says that while he is afraid Gwendolyn will leave him, he would also like for her to awaken and be able to make her own choice, and so he kisses her, ending his own story in his own book. His story does continue in Gwendolyn's book however, and the remainder can be read in her article. Armageddon During the Armageddon, Oswald pursued King Gallon to Titania, and does battle with the cursed beast. After he defeats Gallon, he recalls the words of Hindel, that his father was a man named Edgar. Gallon explains that Edgar was his son, and was banished for attempting to wed a peasant woman. Gallon sent assassins after Edgar, but he managed to let his son escape, and he later found by Melvin. After Gallon dies in a cloud of darkness, Oswald wonders if Melvin might once have found and adopted Oswald purely out of good will, and then leaves. Later he saves Gwendolyn from falling to her death after her victory over Leventhan, but the effort leaves him drained of strength and he collapses near the Cauldron. Velvet sacrifices the Belderiver into the Cauldron, freeing Oswald of its curse. He and Gwendolyn awaken to see the land return to life, and go on to repopulate the world. Abilities Oswald is a powerful knight, highly skilled with his sword the Belderiver, and also commands some of Odette's power, allowing him to transform into a shadowy creature, though if he uses this too often he would irreversibly trasnform into a Desecrator, as shown during his false battle with Onyx during the Armageddon. Gameplay Oswald has the fastest running speed and jumping height and distance of any character, giving him great mobility, and his HP growth is the highest in the game. His Shadow Form ability greatly increases his abilities for a short while, but rapidly drains his Power Bar, leaving him stunned after only a few seconds of use. Oswald learns his spells in an unusual order, starting with Invisible and learning Cyclone some time after Phozon Burst. Oswald visits Ragnanival, the Raging Battleground, the Forest of Elrit, the Netherworld, Winterhorn Ridge, Titania and the Volkenon Lava Pits, and battles Hindel, Brigan, Gwendolyn, a pair of Halja, Belial, Mercedes, Odette (but fails to defeat Mercedes and could barely harm Odette), Odin, Wagner, Skuldi and a pair of Desecrators, Onyx and Leventhan. He is also the foe against King Gallon, hinted in the prophecy that King Gallon can only be taken down by someone who commands the power of death and is a member of his own family. Oswald meets both criteria. Trivia *Despite appearing to be killed by the Halja, Oswald never truly dies. He is just transported to the Netherworld by them. The reason is that Queen Odette grew fond of Oswald and his suffering and she wanted to make him suffer even more while alive. *Oswald's role is the same as Lífþrasir (""the one striving after life" or "thriving remnant") in the Norse mythology, him being the only man surviving Ragnarok. *Oswald is the other of the two Crownless Lords spoken of in the Erion Saga. Despite the fact his father was a prince and first in line for the Titanian throne, he was banished. *Oswald was an undefeated warrior, until Melvin's deal with Odette left him drained of his previous strength. His power was returned during his fight with Odin, and his fight with Wagner. *Oswald is the last of The Shadow Knights and the only one to receive the title "The Shadow Knight" *Oswald is the opponent of his grandfather, King Gallon, during Armageddon. *During the end of his battle with Gallon, Oswald is revealed to be King Gallon's grandson and the rightful heir to the throne and crown of Titania (as Oswald's Father was the eldest son of King Gallon). *When Oswald reveals that his father's name is Edgar after defeating King Gallon during Armageddon, King Gallon also mentions Edgar's brother, Edmund, which refers to the brothers Edgar and Edmund in Shakespeare's play King Lear. *Oswald is also called "The True King of Titania" *Oswald is considered to be one of the two anti-heroes of the game (the other being Ingway). Oswald is also considered to be somewhat of a tragic/fallen villain who turned good and became a hero (when he is compared with the other main characters). This sort of concept however would describe him as an Anti-villain rather then an Anti-hero. An Anti-villain is a character who was seen as a villain who later became a hero while an anti-hero is a character who is a hero but does evil deeds as well, as he/she believes that the deed is for good. This is not confirmed as Oswald wasn't truly evil but was just acting a little cruel or sinister when he was fighting under Melvin's command. *An Unlimited Power potion can be combined with Shadow Form to greatly increase its length, though it will not stop Oswald's Power Bar depletion, only slow it. Category:Royalty Category:Main characters Category:Playable characters